Olivia Goes to The Ballet

This past Monday the local ballet was doing a performance in one of the parks as part of a summer concert series that the park puts on. Since my leg was still in a cast with my tendonitis, I wasn't getting out much and was a bit stir crazy. I decided Brian and I should take Olivia to see the ballet for something to do.

It wasn't anything spectacular but Olivia really enjoyed herself. She seemed to like the movement from the tutus that the dancers were wearing and was captivated by one dance in particular. Over all it was a nice night out for our little family :)

Olivia's favorite of the dances

captivated by ballet

hanging out in her tutu

"mom! there's turtles in here!"

family portrait!

Olivia and her daddy

Thoughtless Thursday

By Ruckus the Eskie and co-host Love is being owned by a Husky

Olivia Goes to The Memorial Day Parade

Yesterday there was a Memorial Day parade in the downtown of our town. I have my foot in a cast due to tendonitis and my days are kind of boring right now so my mom suggested Brian and I go with Olivia for something to do. I dressed Olivia up in her patriotic finest and off we went.

We ate at a restaurant and sat outside at a table. It was a nice day. An SUV pulled up behind the table we wee at and there were some strange animal sounds coming out through the open windows. I kept looking to see what kind of dog made such a bizarre sound. It was no dog. Two geese in dresses and diapers were carried out of the car and sat at the table next to ours. "Well there's something you don't see every day. Not even in this town," I told Brian. Olivia only barked a little and then settled but she was still really intrigued by the large birds. The birds' names were Lucy and Wiggles and apparently their parents bring them downtown every saturday.

After our entertaining lunch next to the geese we walked down the street and found some shade to stand in for the parade. We didn't stay all that long, mostly because my leg was sweating and swelling to death in my cast, but it was a place to go.

 And we saw the geese again. Their parents brought them into a few stores with them and all down the side walk attracted quite a lot of attention. It was definitely a trip downtown we won't forget soon, and now all our friends and family want to go hunt down the geese and their parents too!

Creating With Bostons in Mind

I've been feeling very crafty lately. I made Olivia two bandanas and I used one of my Olivia polymer clay beads to make a cuff bracelet. This involved sewing. Something I can do, but don't do often. My mom taught me as a little kid because like horses are my great love-- sewing is hers.

Olivia's First Birthday Party

Saturday May 10th was Olivia's first Birthday Party! It was through the Boston Terrier club we are part of. Not too many pups showed up that day but we still had a good time! Olivia wore a really cute red t-shirt for part of her party but then she got hot so I took it off her.

I can't believe my baby girl is old enough to have a birthday party!

How to Make a Paper Penant Banner

For Olivia's Boston Terrier Dog Park 1st Birthday Party I made a paper penant Happy Birthday banner. I got the idea from something I saw on Pinterest and I wanted to share how to make one.

First I bought a pack of brightly colored card stock paper. I drew out a triangle the size I wanted and I traced it on the back of the paper (on the white side).

Then I cut out all my triangles.

I also bought a stencil for letters and used stamp pads my mom had in stock instead of paint to apply the letters to the triangles.

stencil laid over a triangle

ink pads that I used instead of paint

When I had one letter per triangle and had spelled out Happy Birthday Olivia Rose I laid all my triangles on the table in the order they were going in and got some ribbon (also in my mom's stock) and a stapler.

I stapled the triangles onto the ribbon, making sure to leave enough ribbon on the ends to tie it up and separations between the words so that they don't run together.

stapled onto the ribbon
if I were to do this again
I would staple the ribbon to
the front instead of the back

I made it over several days, but it really isn't a very time consuming project and it looks super cute when it's done!

Thoughtless Thursday

By Ruckus the Eskie and co-host Love is being owned by a Husky

Wordless Wednesday: Muddy Face

BLOG PAWS 2015

Like everyone else in the Pet Blogosphere who did not get to attend BLOG PAWS 2014 for whatever reason (mine was distance, too far to drive but too expensive to fly) I was obsessively watching what everyone who got to attend was doing via social media. Every day I went through all the pictures on Instagram with #Blogpaws attached to them. I really wish Olivia and I could have met Tillman the skateboarding Bulldog, Manny the Frenchie, and the super cute Capybara that someone brought along. There was so much to learn this year and I feel like I really missed a lot of good stuff. To say I was/ am bummed is an understatement.

However I am not going to dwell on it a moment longer. I'm going to read others' blog posts and find out what I missed. And I'm preparing for next year. I was thrilled to hear next year BLOG PAWS 2015 is in Nashville, TN. That is only 6.5 hours from me! A totally do-able drive. Then last night I saw that BLOG PAWS 2015 tickets are 50% off until tonight... that's a hugeee discount! This morning I propositioned the trip to my dad. My fiancee and I live at home with my parents and I don't know where we will be living a year from now but it's really in my best interest to ask before I buy anything like this. So I took the risk of my dad saying no, and I asked him. And guess what? He actually said yes. I must have done a good job of selling it as a continuing education opportunity in the industry that I want to be a part of. My dad is a big advocate of me going to continuing education stuff. So I went online and I bought my ticket! I can now officially say this for Olivia (because of course she is coming) and myself....

To say I'm excited does not even begin to explain it. I'm going to work extra hard in the next year to network with my fellow pet bloggers more, write more, tweet more, whatever it takes to make my blog the best it can be. I've gone through a few times this year where I just stopped blogging for a few weeks. I felt like I had blogger's block and I felt like I was just too busy. But it's time to make my blog more of a priority and less of just a hobby. 

Olivia and I are excited to meet everyone in a little over a year at BLOG PAWS 2015!

And on a side note... this is my 100th blog post... so that's exciting too!

Being A Dog Mom

I love being a Dog Mom. So much so that I have a magnet on my car that says Dog Mom. I find it to be so rewarding. I love being a Cat Mom too, but that's more like being a slave, than a mom. Olivia makes me laugh. Every. Single. Day. The dog breed books weren't kidding when they called Boston Terriers the clowns of the dog world- I've never met a dog that can hop, skip, and run in reverse the way she can. And Olivia is so happy. I can't not be happy when I'm with her. She's the light of my life. So on Mother's Day I can't help but reflect on my relationship with my baby girl.

Meeting Olivia for the very first time

Olivia was a college graduation gift from my parents

I love having a shadow- a little someone who looks up to me and adores me so much that she even wants to be in the bathroom with me. Olivia looks to me for guidance, support, and love. In the morning she "helps" with barn/horse chores (which really means I spend a lot of time chasing her away from eating manure).

For Olivia's first birthday I went all out. For her little Boston Terrier Dog Park Party I made a penant banner (DIY How-To Coming Soon), I got party hats, I made goodie bags with Milk Bones in them to hand out. By the time (if) I have real two legged babies, I'll be entirely burnt out from all the DIY-ing special stuff and putting together play dates and birthdays.

The early days together were hard. Like any new mom I was up at all hours of the night. Olivia and I went in-out-in-out until she got the hang of sleeping in her crate. It was still a while after that that she was potty trained. It took the two of us time to get into a rhythm together, to learn each other. But one thing was sure- from the very beginning Olivia saw me as hers.

I've been proud of Olivia's every achievement- things as little as learning to sit to bigger things like her graduating the highest level class Petsmart had to offer. My heart swells with pride when people compliment Olivia in anyway (except, perhaps, when they call her a French Bulldog- lol).

Proud mommy at Olivia's
puppy class graduation

I take Olivia to parades, to car shows, horse shows, shopping, and out to eat. I do almost anything with her that a human mom does with a human child. She went to see Santa and the Easter Bunny. She's gone for cocktails at a restaurant. Olivia even has a stroller, like a lot of small dogs these days, and yet people are still surprised when they look in and it's a little funny looking, black and white dog. She may not be the type of baby they were expecting- but she is my baby.

I can't believe how much better my life has gotten since Olivia came into it but now that I have her, I also can't remember life without her either. Olivia is such an inspiration. Because of her I now make Boston Terrier jewelry, I've branded myself as Olivia's Human- and I plan to continue growing that- I'm even writing a book! All because a cute little dog came into my life.

our Christmas family photo

Even Olivia had an ugly sweater for our
ugly sweater Christmas party

7 Summer Safety Tips

Summer is a fun time for everyone. The pool is open, the whole family is swimming, or boating, or having fun in the water at some point. Even the dog! But summer can also be a dangerous time of year for your dog, and Olivia and I are going to share some summer safety tips with you!

1. Always supervise your dog in and around water. It only takes a second for something horrific to happen, even in a very shallow baby pool. Last year, right before my eyes, 9 week old Olivia walked right off the edge of the concrete and fell in the pool. She sank like a rock. I threw my phone on the ground and jumped in, fully clothed. Thankfully, she was okay because I was there when it happened. Had I not, it could've ended very badly.

2. If your dog is not a strong swimmer, no matter the breed, a life vest can be a great purchase that will totally be worth its price. It can also give you peace of mind that God forbid your dog end up in the water and not be able to swim, they won't drown. Last summer after she fell in the pool, Olivia always wore her life vest outside.

Olivia in her new bigger vest

Olivia last year in her original vest

Olivia's two vests side by side

3. If you have a pool make sure you take your dog in the pool with you and show them how to get out (most likely using stairs or a shallow end) in case something happens.

4. It gets very hot in a lot of parts of the country. Make sure your dog has fresh water to drink at all times. The chemicals in the pool do not make it a viable choice. Ponds or lakes are also not ideal.

Sometimes Olivia cools her feet in her
 water bowl

5. Any dog can over heat if left outside too long, especially without any shade. Snub nose dogs (like Olivia), black dogs, and hairy dogs can get especially hot. Make sure you keep an eye on your pet and look for signs of distress. Don't wait until your dog tells you they want to come in, it may already be too late- especially if they've been running or very active.

6. If you have a dog like a Chinese Crested then I'm sure you already know you need to apply sunscreen to them. But other dogs, particularly ones with pink skin, may also need some SPF protection in the warmer months.

7. Avoid going for walks during the hottest parts of the days. Instead opt for early morning or later at night.

Summer is such a great time of year to spend time and bond with your dog, just make sure you do so safely!

Thoughtless Thursday

By Ruckus the Eskie and co-host Love is being owned by a Husky

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Happy First Birthday, Olivia Rose!

Yesterday was Olivia's first birthday! I can hardly believe she's that old already! I remember when she was no bigger than a guinea pig... now she's pushing 20 lbs. Every pet parent who starts out with a puppy or young dog probably has that feeling of "oh my God, my little baby is so big now". Olivia is no longer a puppy and it's a little bit sad and a little bit weird. I don't miss those days of potty training, or late night crying to go out, but I do miss Olivia being so little, and getting to see all her firsts, and watching her grow and change before my eyes.

"can I take this hat off please?"

Yesterday I made Olivia peanut butter Pet Cakes and stuck a candle in one of them (although I didn't light it for obvious reasons). Olivia was allowed the rare privilege of sitting at the kitchen table while Brian, my parents, and I sang happy birthday to her. Fern Louise was even brought over to sit on her favorite ottoman at the table. Then Olivia was allowed to have her cake and eat it too! Haha.

"gimme gimme gimme"

"finally!"

"mine mine mine"

"nom nom nom, cake!"

"so good!"